Humanitarian Action for Children 2021
women to further risks of rape, intimate partner violence, child marriage and physical domestic violence, among
others.
Untreated mental health conditions are a major contributor to disability in South Sudan 19. Persons with
disabilities have been particularly affected by COVID-19 measures, with almost all (97 per cent) experiencing a
reduction or loss of income at the start of the pandemic 20. While efforts were made to support distance learning
when schools were closed until May 2021, children with disabilities have not benefitted from distance learning
due to a lack of materials and equipment21. The number of out of school children has increased to 2.8 million
children (2020), 22 and may have been further exacerbated by the pandemic for specific groups of children. For
example, girls are at risk of not returning to school due to being subjected to increased rates of child marriage
and adolescent pregnancies as a result of school closures.
COVID-19 continues to affect the overall implementation context, hindering mobility, face to face contact and
supply chains. A total of 15,242 confirmed cases and 135 deaths were reported as of 31 December 202123,
though limited testing capacity is hindering an understanding of the true dimension of the outbreak. The
pandemic heavily impacted vital access to basic services in early 2021 due to infection prevention and control
measures, and has had devastating socioeconomic consequences in South Sudan.
However, with a projected growth rate of 1.2 per cent in fiscal year (FY) 2021/22, South Sudan's economy is
expected to record a mild economic recovery following an estimated contraction of 5.4 per cent in FY2020/21.
Projections of up to 5 per cent growth for FY2022/23 have a high degree of uncertainty due to factors including
the uncertain peace process, oil sector developments, climatic shocks, future path of the COVID-19 pandemic,
and a weaker global economic context.24
Responding to the needs of children is key to building a prosperous and peaceful South Sudan. However,
Government budget allocations and public financial management (PFM) to provide basic care and protection
are vastly inadequate. The combined proportion of budget allocations for health, education, and the social and
humanitarian pillar rose to 14 per cent in FY2020/21, from 9 per cent in FY2019/20. However, the budget
allocation for the social and humanitarian affairs pillar (including social protection) decreased to 1 per cent in
FY2020/21, from 2 per cent. An increase in the health budget allocation for FY2021/22 to 10 per cent (from 2
per cent in FY2020/21) is considered an important step. However, budget allocations are still way short of
international and national commitments, such as 10-15 per cent for education and 15-20 per cent for health.
Humanitarian results in 2021
In 2021, despite significant funding and staffing constraints, UNICEF delivered critical life-saving services to
over 5 million people, including 1.5 million children. COVID-19 measures continued to impact UNICEF
programming, requiring reprioritization, adjustments to budgets, and new working modalities formalized through
revised guidance and standard operating procedures (SOPs), including strengthening remote field monitoring.
UNICEF is successfully phasing out the Integrated Rapid Response Mechanism (IRRM) in favour of locally-led
emergency preparedness and response. The IRRM was activated exceptionally for the Tambura conflict
response in Western Equatoria, which displaced over 90,000 people. The Tambura IRRMS reached 37,265
individuals, including 3,980 children under 5, providing a lifeline to those in otherwise inaccessible areas. Pre-
positioning of supplies remains a critical activity due to continued access constraints, particularly during the
rainy season.
UNICEF continues to integrate programming for peace and sustainability through the humanitarian-
development-peacebuilding nexus. Progress was made in promoting better integration between meeting
19 Government of South Sudan, The South Sudan State of Adolescents and Youth Report 2019, 2020
20 Humanity and Inclusion, South Sudan COVID-19 Response Rapid Needs Assessment Report, May 2020
21 Ministry of Finance and Planning, Government of the Republic of South Sudan and UNICEF South Sudan. The
Situation of Children and Women in South Sudan 2018-2020. United Nations Children's Fund, Juba. July 2021
22 MOGEI, Preliminary Report: Nationwide Out of School Children Catchment Mapping in South Sudan, May 2020
23 South Sudan: Coronavirus Pandemic Country Profile
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/south-sudan
24 World Bank, South Sudan Economic Monitor, February 2022 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36994
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